I'll Never Abandon You
by Mintrosy
Summary: After a seemingly routine mission goes terribly wrong, Jack and Daniel are trapped under a pile of concrete and steel with some serious injuries. Or rather, Daniel is trapped and Jack refuses to leave him. (Can be seen as Jack/Daniel aka Lover's Death)(Prequel to "Neither Will I").


They didn't know how their mission seemed to come apart so quickly, or how they were even found out in the first place. All Jack and Daniel knew was that the building they were trying to infiltrate suddenly collapsed on top of them, and that Danny was painfully pinned down by a large steel support beam. To make matters worse, all the other Horsemen were occupied with their own part of the plan across the city, making it unlikely that the duo would receive any help before their attackers came to finish the job.

"Danny, are you still with me?" Jack asked as he shifted through the rubble for a way out. The air around them was thick with dust and debris, but slivers of light shone through the cracks in the concrete above their heads.

"Yeah, but I can't say this is the best Saturday I've ever had." Danny replied, grimacing in pain as he shifted under the beam. The pressure on Danny's chest was making it hard to breathe, and he could definitely tell by the sharp pain that he had at least a couple of broken ribs. His head hurt unbearably, and he faintly hoped that he didn't have a concussion to add to his injuries. Daniel felt himself drifting as Jack scrambled around the small area they were trapped in, only Jack's loud "Yes!" shook Daniel back to awareness.

"What?" He asked weakly, hating the way he sounded.

"Ok, there's a small opening right there that we can crawl through, we just need to get you free and then we're good." Jack smiled hopefully, crouching down next to Danny.

"Look Jack, we both know that there's no way for you to lift this thing." Daniel sighed, "Even if there was, the people that brought the damn building down on us in the first place will be here soon to kill us." He winced as another searing wave of pain coursed through his body, and he felt his eyes slowly closing before he heard Jack's frantic voice.

"Hey!" Jack gently shook Danny's shoulders, "You need to stay awake and just listen to me, everything's going to be fine. I'll figure something out."

Daniel laughed softly at this despite his aching ribs. "What?"Jack asked defensively.

"Nothing," Danny smiled, "It's just that your optimism is like a breath of fresh air sometimes."

Jack laughed, "Thanks, I think."

"Seriously though, you should get out of here." Daniel urged, the pain beginning to overwhelm him.

The strength of Danny's voice was fading, causing Jack's heart to race with worry. "This whole mess is my fault anyway, if I would have just paid a little more attention-" Daniel explained.

"No! This is nobody's fault but those assholes." Jack interrupted, "You're stupid if you think otherwise."

"Maybe..." Danny sighed, the pain from his chest was making him extremely lightheaded, and each labored breath hurt more than the last.

Jack frowned, "Danny, I'm not going to leave you, we're in this together. Whether you like it or not." He took a risk and placed one hand on Danny's dust-covered face, and held Danny's shaking hand with the other.

"Please Jack, leave. I'm not worth you dying too." Danny paused to take a shuddering breath before continuing, "Maybe things are better this way." He whispered.

"You can't just tell me to go!" Jack said fiercely, "How are things going to be 'better this way' if I just leave you here to die?" He was getting increasingly frustrated at Daniel's stubbornness.

"I make a mess wherever I go." Danny argued faintly, he knew he couldn't stay awake much longer, but he needed to make sure Jack understood. "I don't want you to die because of me. I'm not worth it."

"People care about you, too, you know." Daniel remained silent so Jack continued, "Dylan, Lula, hell even Merritt. _I care about you._ " Danny let out a choked sob at this, his breathing becoming irregular.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." He gripped Jack's hand tightly as the man wiped the tear tracks of his cheeks. Daniel's vision blurred and an intense pain wracked his brain, causing him to finally fall unconscious underneath the terrible pressure of the steel beam.

Jack's eyes widened as Danny's grip loosened, "Danny, please wake up. C'mon, Focus on my voice, just focus on me." he frantically pleaded to the unconscious man.

"I'm not going to leave you, so don't you dare leave me now." Jack pleaded, tears beginning to slide down his face.

Jack didn't know how long he and Danny stayed like that, with Jack holding on tightly to the injured man and pleading for him to _just wake up_. The only reassure he had was Danny's slow, thready pulse and faint breathing. Jack didn't know why armed men hadn't come to kill them by now, maybe they thought the collapsed building had already finished the two Horsemen. No matter the case, Jack didn't need to be told twice to count his blessings. He just hoped that he and Danny would get some help soon and escape this uncertain hell.

...

After what seemed like hours later, Jack was alerted to the sound of voices just beyond the collapsed walls surrounding the pair. He prayed to whatever was out there that it was the other Horsemen, and he was rewarded when Lula's voice carried through the cracks in the concrete.

"Holy shit! Dylan! I found them!" She cried.

"Are you guys ok?" Jack heard Merritt ask, his muffled voice filled with concern.

Jack let out a laugh as a wave of relief washed over him, "I'm fine, but Danny is trapped under a support beam. He's alive, but I've haven't been able to wake him up." He shouted.

"Don't worry, we'll get you out. Just stay calm." Dylan ordered. The group worked vigorously to free their friends, and when they finally succeeded they hurriedly carried the unconscious Horseman to safety. Jack stuck close by Daniel the entire time, never leaving his side until he knew Danny would be alright.

Daniel's recovery lasted far too long for his liking, and consisted of very painfully annoying reminders of his 4 broken ribs and concussion. However, throughout all the time he was bedridden, one thing remained constant.

Jack.

The man was there to help Danny with anything and everything, even if it was just to keep him from going crazy with boredom. They would talk for hours, and Jack never once complained about Daniel's crazy requests or ideas. It was when he asked Jack to get him another book for the 6th time that night did Danny realize that someone really did care for him. Jack would never, ever abandon him, and neither would Danny.


End file.
